I hear the voices, and I read the front page, and I know the speculation. But I'm the decider, and I decide what is best.
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Thursday, February 16, 2006

One Final (?) Note on Cheney the Rifleman

Tim Kelly and I got into a good discussion about Cheney's possible drunkenness during the shooting incident. Tim pointed out that I seemed a little puritanical about the possible involvement of alcohol, considering my own affinity for a beer or 9.

But it's not purtianism, as I assured him. I don't care if Cheney is an alcoholic. But if alcohol was involved, we're talking about something that adds a whole new layer to the story.

I went to college at UMass; close to the pizza place where I worked were huge cornfields we called "The Meadows". The tractor trails were a great place to go off-roading on a moutain bike, a motorcycle, or a 4wd.

One night after work, my boss Claudio took his girlfriend and a couple of the managers from the restaurant joyriding in his Saab back in the Meadows. They'd all been drinking, and Claudio flipped the car. He left the scene of the accident, with his girlfriend and employees trapped in the car. He went to hishouse (which was nearby) and called the police TWO HOURS after the incident. He claimed it took him that long to get to his house, and that he left to call forhelp, but everyone (including the cops) knew it was to go sober up so he could avoid the DWI charge. No one bought it and Claudio lost his license for a year.

Here in Philly, we have the story Susannah Goihman, who ran over a teenager and then drove off. Again, alcohol was involved. Lots of it.

In both matters, the drunk driver fled. Why? Because once alcohol is involved with an auto accident, it brings much stiffer penalties, including jail time.

My bet is that the veep had a blood alcohol content well above that recommended when handling firearms. My problem is not with the veep's drinking, but with his failure to be a man and admit to what he did.

My question is "is this illegal in Texas"? I did a google search but came up dry with regard to Texas.Cheney's lucky he didn't do this in Georgia, where the law is clear:

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge a firearm while: (1) Under the influence of alcohol or any drug or any combination of alcohol and any drug to the extent that it is unsafe for the person to discharge such firearm except in the defense of life, health, and property; (2) The person's alcohol concentration is 0.08 grams or more at any time while discharging such firearm or within three hours after such discharge of such firearm from alcohol consumed before such discharge ended; or (3) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) of this Code section, there is any amount of marijuana or a controlled substance, as defined in Code Section 16-13-21, present in the person's blood or urine, or both, including the metabolites and derivatives of each or both without regard to whether or not any alcohol is present in the person's breath or blood.